Regarding scissors, some of the special angled ones will only offer benefit if you are making 45 degree angle cuts for carpeting plants. other curved scissors are convenient for trimming around other plants within the tank.

generally, scissors with longer handles tend to cut through thicker stems while shorter ones benefit from manuverability. it really depends on your scape design and the type of plants that dictates which most suits your needs.

I use the fluval scissors which are 8" and use a pair of fiskar scissors from the office for shorter closer pruning.